A Vineyard Wedding at Villa Bellezza in Pepin, Wisconsin

After his first attempt to propose to Tiah Colacci (28 and a teacher) at his 30th birthday bash was foiled by rain, Darrin Kiefer (31 and works in human resources) decided to postpone the monumental moment to the next morning. The couple headed to downtown Minneapolis to grab a cup of Joe and as they were walking across the Stone Arch Bridge, Darrin got down on one knee. A crowd began to gather around them and when Tiah said yes, the crowd erupted into applause. As a surprise, Darrin had asked his best friend, a professional photographer, to capture every moment. It only took one visit to Villa Bellezza in Pepin, WI for Tiah and Darrin to become completely smitten with its Tuscan-style architecture, sweeping vineyards and natural setting. “Villa Bellezza was the first and only venue we visited,” says Tiah. “Because of my Italian heritage, we wanted to have an Italian wedding theme and this venue fit the bill. From the Tuscan-style architecture to the beautiful vineyard, it felt as though our wedding was actually Italy itself!”For the ceremony, the couple let the natural beauty of the venue shine through. The lush green grape vines and a wedding arch draped it light airy fabric created the backdrop for the outdoor affair, with rose petals lightly scattered along the aisle. For the ceremony, the couple looked to the vineyard for inspiration, adding pops of deep burgundy to the elegant white and ivory tabletops. Intricately decorated lanterns and subtle arrangements of eucalyptus and Queen Anne’s lace topped the tables, playing up the Italian feel of the vineyard. To get guests out onto the dance floor the couple kicked off the evening with a short duet, followed by a few rockin’ numbers performed by Tiah’s father’s band. A DJ finished off the night with a long set list of up beat tunes.